2007-02-02 02:12:40 · 14 answers · asked by Eric D 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
A solar eclipse does not cause blindness.
A partial solar eclipse could damage your vision if you look at it without eye protection which ultimately could lead to blindness.
I've seen a full solar eclipse and it's really quite remarkable. It's safe to look at when it's full-on while the moon completely blocks out the sun and all you see is the sun's corona which are the raging flames that burn thousands of miles from it's surface. It's still recommended that you use eye protection when looking at it because you don't know the exact moment when it will end.
When it ends, a highly concentrated beam of light comes through momentarily when the sun's direct rays hit the Earth and your eye. It's called the diamond ring effect (because it looks like a brilliant diamond ring for a moment) and it's just like looking at a welder's arc without eye protection and can even be painful.
2007-02-02 02:23:53 · answer #1 · answered by Mickey Nation 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
There is nothing special about the fact that it's a solar eclipse that will cause blindness or an injury to the eye, no more so (in fact, less) than just looking at the sun. No special rays are emitted, or anything like that.
But if officials said, "Go ahead and look at the eclipse without any eye protection," they'd be unintentionally contributing to many eye injuries. The reason we are cautioned against looking at an eclipse is that there are some people that don't know when to quit. They stare at the sun for minutes on end, and this can cause retina damage. Also, some people have sensitive retinas, and are more susceptible to a burn than others. These people have avoided trouble up to the eclipse because they never thought to give the sun more than just a passing glance.
Better safe than sorry! Use that smoked glass or pinhole!
2007-02-02 03:38:26 · answer #2 · answered by gamblin man 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Solar Eclipse does NOT cause blindness, but staring directly into the Sun... DOES.!
2007-02-02 02:16:10 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 0⤋
a solar eclipse doesn't cause some phenomenon in which blindness sweeps the earth.
Its the idiots that stare at the sun to see the spectacle that get blinded.
2007-02-02 12:10:47 · answer #4 · answered by Kitt 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Pupils of eyes have protective effect on retina of eye. When exposed to strong light it becomes smaller. So when you see the sun directly on a normal day only a portion of light goes inside the eyes thus protecting it against harmful light emitted by sun. In a solar eclipse, the pupil does not contract as brightness is reduced.So a larger portion of harmful rays enter the eyes causing damage to retina. hence it is preferable to watch solar eclipse with special glasses which protect against harmful light or seeing it indirectly in reflection like in water
2007-02-02 02:28:32 · answer #5 · answered by asterix 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
People think it;s safe to look right at the sun during an eclipse, but the amount of light hitting your eye is still enough to blind you
2007-02-02 02:18:04 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
it generally takes some hours for indications to look, and imaginitive and prescient can worsen for the subsequent 12 hours or so. After that, imaginitive and prescient generally slowly improves for a era of months. Any imaginitive and prescient problems and then are probable everlasting. indications are generally a loss of seen acuity, like being no longer able to pass a imaginitive and prescient try. Peripheral imaginitive and prescient is generally unaffected. As for the fairway dot, stare at a purple circle for a handful of seconds, then close your eyes and you will see a green dot. in case you spent assorted time observing a mild, you will see an afterimage once you shut your eyes. look up afterimage on wikipedia. The afterimage could look in the present day and could flow away surprisingly rapidly.
2016-11-02 03:14:47 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It doesn't but your eyes can get injured if you stare at the sun before and after a total eclipse with no protection.
2007-02-02 02:18:57 · answer #8 · answered by Gene 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Many people wrongly believe its safe to look at the sun during a solar eclipse, but they are WRONG. It is not. during a solar eclipse, the outer rim of the sun can be seen around the moon, and staring directly at the without protection could cause you permanent eye damage.
2007-02-02 02:23:16 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 3⤋
when that sun peaks out you get solar radiation hitting your optic nerve in the form of visible and invisible light, and that light traveled out of the sun 8 minutes earlier, ripped through the Ionosphere, and into your eye... UV rays are in the mix too folks.
it does not take much to destroy the optic nerve, and this vision will hurt it before you can blink your lids closed. you shouldnt have permanent damage, but looking at the sun is not safe, try the moon...
we have discovery channel to enable us to see it now, so no need to risk it.
2007-02-02 04:54:51 · answer #10 · answered by SAINT G 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋